postal

adjective

post·​al ˈpō-stᵊl How to pronounce postal (audio)
1
: of or relating to the mails or the post office
2
: conducted by mail
postal chess
3
: insanely or murderously violent
—usually used in the phrase go postal

Examples of postal in a Sentence

Postal rates are going up. The city worked to quickly restore postal service.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Which essential services, such as banks and postal delivery, will be closed? — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Even when mail was sent out or delivered, a curtain separated the Sisters and the outside postal workers. — Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026 The theft this month at a postal facility in San Bruno, about 12 miles south of San Francisco, is among a recent spike in post office thefts, robberies and assaults on postal workers in the Bay Area, authorities said. — Luke Barr, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 A Little Rock police incident report lists Shelton as a suspect in the theft of mail from the post office at 7401 Colonel Glenn Road, where a blue postal collection box had been broken into early Friday. — Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for postal

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of postal was in 1842

Phrases Containing postal

Rhymes for postal

See All Rhymes for postal

Browse Nearby Words

postage stamp
postal
postal address
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Postal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postal. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

postal

adjective
post·​al ˈpōs-tᵊl How to pronounce postal (audio)
: of or relating to mail or to the post office
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All